Gingerbread | Helen Oyeyemi

"Anyone who says you must hurt yourself primarily wishes to see you hurt, regardless of rationale or supposedly beneficial outcome."

    Druhastrana is "an alleged nation state of indeterminable geographical location" as per Wikipedia. (Also, sound so similar to druga strana, which is my language means the other side. I'm sure it's intentionally taken from a Slavic language, especially with the connection to the Czech Republic.) But for Harriet, it is a very real place, a place she and her mother escaped from via a cargo ship and a place she does not want her daughter Perdita to visit.

    The main story of the novel is told in a single night, as Harriet tells her daughter and her dolls the tale of her leaving Druhastarana for England. And yes, Perdita is a seventeen-year-old who still has dolls, but to her defense they have literally grown up with her, are very protective and good company. If this seems strange, bear in mind this is a Helen Oyeymi novel. Magical realism has been a part of everything I have read from her.

    Anyway, Oyeyemi has taken gingerbread as a focus because of its use in many fairytales and children's stories. Harriet's friend from Druhastrana is even called Gretel, if you were harboring any doubts as to whether this had any root in cautionary tales. I found the novel a bit creepy, but not to the horror-type level, there is suspense and magic, which makes is a perfect October/Halloween read for my tastes.

    The gingerbread recipe is passed down through Harriet's father's side of the family. Her mother, an heiress, chose to marry her farmer father and hard work with little to no payoff is what she gets. Baking gingerbread is how she apologizes to the neighbors for disturbing them with her and her husbands rows, how she gives strength to the men to work the fields. After many lean years, she comes in contact with Clio Kercheval, a distant cousin and "the theoretical person who limited at least four families' ability to thrive" as she's the one who actually owns the farm they're working. She ends up taking Harriet and a few other girls from the village to work for her in the city, baking gingerbread.

 "Everything has changed except the gingerbread, which is both trick and treat."

    The next part takes on the terrible working conditions, where the so-called Gingerbread Girls are exploited and live in bad conditions. When Harriet somehow manages to win the only legitimate lottery in the country (there are many scammy lotteries, the most famous one ran by her maternal grandfather) she and her mother get in contact with Kerchevals of England and leave Druhastana behind forever. Thus start the romantic (or well, Romantic) exploits of Harriet and Gabriel Kercheval which do not end well, but result in the birth of Perdita. The story of struggle leads to a fairly comfortable life and good careers for both Harriet and her mother Margot.

    There are also ghost stories, haunted houses, mysterious friends and of course, the magical gingerbread. The story is told so well, that after a time, you don't really feel as if you're reading something different. It's normal for Harriet to go to a Parent Association meeting in school and then come back and talk to Perdita's dolls. The magical elements are still somehow grounded in realty that everything seems feasible. I absolutely love this novel.